Australian Prime Minister tours P-TECH school with IBM in New York City

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The Honourable Tony Abbott MP, Prime Minister of Australia, toured the Pathways in Technology Early College (P-TECH) High School, in Brooklyn, New York overnight with IBM (NYSE: IBM) as part of his current visit to France, Canada and United States of America.

The P-TECH high school in Brooklyn is an example of a new education model spanning grades 9 to 14 that brings together the best elements of high school, college and career.

" I was delighted to visit P-TECH while in New York. I believe this is an innovative and valuable education model for us to consider in Australia," said the Hon. Tony Abbott MP, Prime Minister of Australia.

Through P-TECH, IBM is working with educators in school districts and higher education to redesign high schools – expanding them from four to six years so that students graduate with both a high school diploma and an Associate in Applied Science degree. Equipped with these degrees, graduates will be prepared to embark upon entry-level careers in the IT industry or continue their education.

Andrew Stevens, Managing Director, IBM Australia and New Zealand said, "Our current shortage of skills has serious repercussions for Australia’s future economic health and employment opportunities. We need to tackle this problem head-on with innovative, new approaches in collaboration with industry. To that end, IBM supports improved career and technical education, particularly for the subjects of science, technology, engineering and math which contribute to societal improvement and economic development."

Mr Stanley Litow, IBM Vice President of Corporate Citizenship, who helped devise the P-TECH model toured the school with the Hon. Tony Abbott PM. Mr Litow said, "The grade 9 to 14 model exemplified by P¬-TECH schools is reinventing the concept of high school in America. The academic results to date in P TECH schools both in New York City and Chicago have been truly impressive, and is the reasons why it is being expanded so rapidly in the United States"

About P-TECH Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) was the first 9-14 school opened in September 2011, in Brooklyn, New York, as a collaboration between the New York City Department of Education, the City University of New York, New York City College of Technology and IBM.

Pathways in Technology Early College High Schools are innovative public schools spanning grades 9 to 14 that bring together the best elements of high school, college and career. Within a six-year, structured, and integrated timeframe, students graduate with a no-cost Associate in Applied Science degree, along with the skills and knowledge they need to continue their studies or step seamlessly into well paying, high potential jobs in the Information Technology industry. This model was designed to be both widely replicable and sustainable as part of an effort to reform career and technical education. Corporate partners, having helped shape the curriculum and interacted with these students for years, will feel comfortable putting them "at the head of the line" when they apply for entry level jobs after graduation. For its part, IBM is guaranteeing job interviews for qualified graduates of P-TECH schools affiliated with the company.

IBM created a detailed blueprint for how this model can be replicated and has made it publicly available. Called “STEM Pathways to College and Careers Schools: A Development Guide,” the document outlines specific details such as designing a curriculum and related assessments, creating an integrated college experience and building a strong teaching faculty.